Why it's important to monitor your PC's background processes

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Your PC is always doing something, even when you've closed all the app windows from your desktop. Windows is checking for updates and keeping everything moving under the hood, with other apps still running quietly in the background. Ideally, this is all happening with a useful purpose. But some apps or services are always going to use more processing power or memory than you expect, taking up resources that could otherwise be available to apps you actually want to use.

With that in mind, it's smart to get into the habit of checking your PC's background processes. When you know what's supposed to run, it'll help you spot the unusual. This doesn't mean you need to watch the numbers all day, and a long running list isn't bad by itself. Instead, monitoring them means you can spot processes causing problems or sucking up resources on your PC. That'll help you decide what to leave alone and what to close, especially when your PC starts to feel slow.

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Background processes are programs, or parts of programs, running without you directly interacting with them. They're handling everything: mundane jobs like syncing files and installing updates, as well as important visual elements like the windows you're clicking.

There's one place you should look first when you want to see what's running on your PC: Task Manager. Alongside your open apps, you'll find all running background processes, including system-level Windows tasks. It shows how much CPU power and memory is in use for each, along with disk activity and network bandwidth.

There are a couple of ways to open it. Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard is a quick shortcut, although pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete > Task Manager will get you there too. You can also right-click the Start button or an empty area of the taskbar and select Task Manager.

Begin on the Processes tab (accessible through the left sidebar). Clicking the Name header to sort by app title is handy, as this groups running processes by type (active Apps, then Background processes and finally Windows processes). Click any of the column headings to sort using them instead, bringing the heaviest users to the top.

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You'll recognize some of the entries right away. Expect to see apps like Chrome listed, plus Task Manager itself. Others are less obvious: a game launcher, for instance, might leave an updater running after you've closed its main window. You'll also find services that Windows relies on, so don't assume something is unnecessary just because you don't recognize it.

Chrome is a good example, as it has plenty of background processes that run while you're using it. Each tab has a process, along with others that handle features like hardware acceleration and extensions. Chrome's own Task Manager tool (Shift + Esc) gives a clearer idea of what each process is responsible for.

Don't expect a one-size-fits-all number of background processes; this depends on your PC's specs. Obviously, a PC with slower hardware is more likely to be negatively hit by busy processes. You can watch this in real-time by keeping an eye on Task Manager. When it reports sustained activity, you're able to watch and potentially stop anything that's hogging resources.

It's a good idea to check when your PC is running normally, too, as that gives you a point of comparison to know when an app is using more resources than normal.

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If you've spotted a process or two that's sucking up your RAM or maxing out your CPU, you may be thinking it's time to hit the kill switch. While you can use Task Manager to kill running processes, avoid doing this as your first choice, as there might be a reason why an app is suddenly using resources. Consider a game launcher that's not showing on your screen, but your disk activity is up, as is your CPU and RAM usage. While that seems bad in isolation, it's explained by the platform downloading and installing updates in the background.

When you can, always exit an app cleanly using the X in the top-right corner, or its own option under File > Quit or similar. Check the system tray at the bottom-right of the screen for icons representing background apps to close them properly, too.

When an app won't close normally, then Task Manager comes into play: right-click its entry in Task Manager's Processes list and click End task. Ending a task here is forcible, meaning an app won't have a chance to make sure you've saved your work and end gracefully. But when an app has crashed, that's probably unavoidable anyway.

Use Google to identify any services you don't immediately recognize; with names like svchost.exe for various background Windows services, it's not worth guessing what they do. Right-click any process and select Open File Location to see where it's stored.

Performance isn't the only reason to check what you've got running. If you're concerned about something running on your PC, especially if it's stubborn enough that killing it in Task Manager doesn't work, give your PC a quick health check for any viruses or malware. Windows has built-in protection with Microsoft Defender, which you can access via Windows Security > Virus & threat protection. You'll want to select Scan options > Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) > Scan now.

The offline scan requires a PC restart. The scan runs in its own, separate environment, where any stubborn malware won't be able to stop itself from being quarantined or deleted.

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Gamers have a particular interest in reducing the amount of background activity on their PCs. Every system resource that isn't used by other apps can be used to improve in-game performance. Downloads are a good place to start — don't run multiple launchers while you're playing a game. You'll be able to spot high activity in Task Manager if one is running: network activity, disk and CPU usage will all be impacted.

Some apps you might find useful while a game is running, like a game recorder or launcher, can have an impact on performance. Windows 11 has built-in features for recording via Xbox mode and the Game Bar; switch it off at Settings > Gaming > Captures if they affect your gameplay. In case you have any third-party recording apps installed, double-check their settings so they aren't doubling up.

You can stop any game launchers, not to mention other apps, from opening automatically when you start up your PC. In Task Manager, select Startup apps on the left, right-click an app you don't need at startup, then hit Disable. You can always open the app later, but keeping it out of your startup list will reduce the number of background apps that run every time you log in.

Like many aspects of PC usage, it's a balancing act. You don't need to stop every background process to make sure your PC is running fast, because your system will do its best to prioritize. If you keep an eye on your PC's running processes, though, you'll get a feel for what should be running and what shouldn't.